OSU dean emeritus honored by American Sociological Association

09/16/2011

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Former Oregon State University administrator Joe Hendricks received the Matilda White Riley Distinguished Scholar Award at the recent annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in Las Vegas. The award is named for the late president of the American Sociological Association who served for over two decades as the ranking social scientist at the National Institute on Aging.

Hendricks, dean emeritus of University Honors College, was honored as a scholar in the field of aging and the life course who has shown “exceptional achievement in research, theory, policy analysis, or who has otherwise advanced knowledge of aging and the life course.” He previously received similar honors in 2009 from the Gerontological Society of America and in 2004 from the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education.

Hendricks has been on the OSU faculty since 1988, when he was chair of the Department of Sociology. He was tabbed to head the honors college at the university in 1995 and retired from that position in January 2008. He retired from OSU at the end of 2009 having served as Associate Provost after stepping down from the University Honors College.

Hendricks is author or editor of more than two dozen books, and has written nearly 150 scholarly articles or chapters. Hendricks has conducted investigations into retirement satisfaction and other social factors that can influence the aging process and the unfolding of the life course.

“I am humbled and flattered to receive this honor named for Dr. Riley as she was a leading exponent of social influences in the process of aging,” Hendricks said. “To have been recognized in this way by all three of my professional organizations is beyond my wildest dreams.”